1. Field of the Invention
My invention relates to methods and apparatus for the control of smoke and fire in buildings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The term "prior art" as used herein or in any statement made by or for applicant means only that any document or thing referred to as prior art bears, directly or inferentially, a date which is earlier than the effective filing date hereof.
Smoke control systems for buildings are known in the art, and are disclosed, for example, in at least some of the patents listed hereinbelow.
The following United States patents were adduced by a preliminary patentability search, and thus it is believed that each of them contains information which might be considered to be material to the examination of this application. No representation or admissions are made by the citation of these patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,734,114; 3,350,996; 3,739,707; 3,741,101; 3,786,739; 3,800,687; 3,818,816; 3,821,923; 3,884,133; 3,912,223; 3,951,051; 3,955,323; 3,981,317; 4,033,246; 4,047,475; 4,058,253; 4,080,978; 4,243,175.
However, none of the smoke or smoke and fire control methods or apparatus of the prior art appear to achieve the degree of control of the smoke and fire produced by building fires which is desired by fire safety systems designers and fire safety authorities.